Project by

About this project

UPDATE 28.02.14:

It looks like we're not going to make our goal unless somebody swoops in at the last minute with a £26k pledge. That's a shame but I'm not deterred. This game will be completed and released this year on Steam. Early Access is the next step and will hopefully happen in the next few months. There is also the possibility that we will relaunch the Kickstarter at a later date so if you want to keep up on what's going on with the project the best plan would be to click this link and sign up to our mailing list.

UPDATE 24.02.14:

The Livestream of the Dive mode was a great success with over 2000 views and 100 people in the chat. Thanks to everybody who turned up.

We will be doing another Live Stream on Thursday night for as long as we can stay awake for the last push on the Kickstarter. We'll be starting at 10PM GMT (5PM EST).

If you can't wait that long then I will be live streaming my programming time later today. Follow the twitch channel and you'll get notified when I'm online!

UPDATE 19.02.14:

Fight for survival against hordes of enemies in Neo-Cyberspace.

Waves: Arena Tactics is the follow up to the Indie smash Waves by Squid In A Box Ltd. We're taking the arcade action and Neo-Cyberspace styling of the original game and combining them with online Multiplayer and a custom ship loadouts to create a different kind of experience; a more tactical one.

The game has been in development since the release of the original Waves and has reached a point where the majority of the heavy lifting has been done but it's far from complete - that's where you come in.

I'm the only full-time employee of Squid In A Box Ltd and there is only so much I can achieve without the help of others. Audio and Art has to be provided by other talented individuals.

The purpose of this Kickstarter is to raise enough money to finish the game and get it released. This means hiring a composer/audio designer and an artist as well as keeping me stocked with Ramen.

What Do You Have?

If the game has been in development for nearly two years then surely there is a bunch of stuff already made right?

Correct! Most of the game exists already and can be played both online and offline. The majority of the time in development has been spent making the game expandable so it can keep players entertained for years to come.

We already have the following things working and ready to go:

Procedural Arena Generation

Inventory and Equipment System

Modular Weapons, Buffs and Debuffs system

All new AI interface

Online Multiplayer Integrated with Steamworks

Local Multiplayer with multiple Controllers

Ten Unique Weapons

Five Super Weapons

Eight Support Items

Ten Single Player Arenas

Eight Enemies

Bullet point lists are boring. What is the game about?

Arena Tactics is about playing with the possibilities of a multiplayer twin-stick shooter. It borrows heavily from RPGs, Shooters and Living Card Games.

"Blow up your friends or the AI in multiplayer for loot drops and highscores." - however there is so much more to the game with 13 game modes to choose from.

At it's core you are trying to find pieces of equipment/loot to pimp out your "ship". The different game modes will drop loot as you play as well as bonus loot for doing really well (such as beating your previous high score or that of your friends).

Examples of Loot might be some Shield Boosters or a new gun, if you have too many of these you can sell them for in game currency and spend the credits in the shop to buy items you've not found yet.

Different combinations of equipment enable different play styles. You could combine Gyroscope Enhancers and a Cloaking Device to try and speed your way through levels without actually fighting anybody or you could specialise in crowd control with EMP devices and stunning lighting cannons.

What about the Roguelike?

As well as timed and score attack modes there is a special mode called "Dive". In this mode the player (or team of players in Co-Op) have to gather up parts of a key to unlock the level exit so they can dive deeper into the system. The deeper you get the more loot you can collect and the higher your score will get. Each level is procedurally generated with over 5 billion possible combinations.

Dive mode is where the Co-Op play really shines with players helping each other out and exploring synergies with their equipment builds.

Is there PvP?

Yep! Up to 6 players can compete in teams or free for all modes online via Steamworks. In PvP there are no AI enemies and the game changes again needing different builds to survive. The game will launch with Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and king of the hill game modes.

What's The Money For?

Here is what we need the money to finish...

25% of all the money raised will be used to pay Royalties to Epic Games as part of the licensing agreement for UDK. The rest of the money will be used to finish the game and hire an artist (or two) and a composer/sound designer.

The Artist will be reskinning the game from it's current Programmer Art to a fully realised reinterpretation of the Neon-Cyberspace Waves universe complete with new enemy designs and new Arena art and GUI.

Robert Stjärnström of Machinae Supremacy will be composing a unique soundtrack for the game consisting of six original tracks as well as helping out with sound design to create a unique sonic landscape for the game.

The breakdown of the cash goes like this:

Risks and challenges

All the delivery dates for the rewards to the right are estimates. Things may happen during development that causes these dates to change. If this is the case then you will be immediately notified with an updated estimate and an explanation of why the delay has occurred.

Game development is a creative process and independent games are more creative than most. Having a small team gives us flexibility that large teams lack allowing us to change direction quickly if something is proving to not be any fun.

There is only one fulltime employee at Squid In A Box Ltd - Robert Hale. Rob has been in games development since 2001 and has worked on some very high profile AAA console titles in the past such as Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. He also single handedly developed the first Waves.

The Artist has not yet been secured for the project. The availability of whoever fulfills this role will be a key factor in the release date of the final game. If you are an Artist and wish to be considered for the role then please send me a portfolio of your work.

The soundtrack will be created by Robert Stjärnström of Machinae Supremacy and is very experienced in creating music for video games with past experience on The Great Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams.

The game uses Steamworks for all of it's multiplayer features. If you want a purely single player experience with none of the Leaderboards or multiplayer then this will be available from the Squid In A Box website. You will still get a Steam code if you later change your mind.

Rewards

£1 reward

Thankyou! - You'll receive a Steam code for the original Waves to redeem or give to a friend as thanks for your help.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2014

You selected

£7 reward

150 backers
Limited (350 left of 500)

Early Adopter - A Steam Code for the finished game in time for Release.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

You selected

£10 reward

13 backers

Buffering - You'll receive a Steam code for the finished game in time for release.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

You selected

£17 reward

20 backers

Dual-Core - You receive an additional Steam Code for the game to give to a friend so you can play together!

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

You selected

£25 reward

12 backers

Paula - Digital download of the games soundtrack.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2014

You selected

£35 reward

21 backers
Limited (479 left of 500)

Beta - Beta access key so you can help test the game during it's final months. You will also be named in the credits as a Beta Tester and unlock a unique Beta Tester Avatar in game.

Estimated delivery:Apr 2014

You selected

£50 reward

6 backers
Limited (94 left of 100)

Alpha - Alpha access key. Help shape the game during development to make the best experience possible. You will be credited as an Alpha Tester and unlock an Alpha Tester Avatar in game.

Estimated delivery:Mar 2014

You selected

£100 reward

6 backers
Limited (14 left of 20)

Inner Circle - Priority testing group. Get access to everything before everybody else and a direct line to the Developers. Take a pro-active role in the games development and design Arenas and Equipment. Unlock a unique Inner Circle Avatar in game.

Estimated delivery:Feb 2014

Funding period

Feb 4, 2014 - Feb 28, 2014
(23 days)

Eureka! You've found our little secret.

Sign up for our Happening email for all the inside info about arts and culture in the Kickstarter universe and beyond.